A fire in a garbage truck bin prompted the closure of the Cranbrook Transfer Station for less than an hour as firefighters quickly snuffed out the flames.
Jim Penson, solid waste superintendent for the Regional District of East Kootenay said the fire was first reported at about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The dump was closed for about 40 minutes while Cranbrook Fire and Emergency Services put out the flames.
The exact cause of this incident, and one that happened on June 26th, is currently unknown.
“We don’t go digging through garbage very much. We suspect it was either a couple of chemicals getting together or batteries that are shorting out in the garbage with combustibles,” said Penson. “There was a pile of ash that was in the garbage, but we don’t think it was that because the ash that was there, was cold.”
The fire itself was in the trailer of a haul truck that is used to take garbage from the transfer station to the landfill.
Penson added that residents should be aware of what they are throwing away and if that presents a fire hazard.